Weekly spotlight on breeding

Breeding authority Peter Wharton presents harness racing news on breeding from Australia, New Zealand and North America brought to you by Yabby Dam Farms & Racing!

Yabby Dam Racing, principal Pat Driscoll’s dream to breed and race world class trotters was born after seeing a billboard on the Champs Elysees in Paris advertising the famous trotting race the Prix d’Amerique. Driscoll attended the Prix d’Amerique and immediately a love affair with the trotter was formed.

Driscoll spent the next five years visiting world class trotting establishments in Europe before embarking on his own venture here in Australia where he has lead the charge in the significant advancement of Southern Hemisphere trotting.

Fighter Command on Eureka trail

The Always B Miki gelding Fighter Command, who broke his own track record winning the $80,000 The Beautide for the second time at Hobart, is the latest qualifier for the $2.1 Eureka at Menangle in September.

A four-year-old, Fighter Command has not done a great deal of racing, owing to a twisted bowel which sidelined him on the eve of last year’s Eureka. From 21 starts he has won 12 and been three times placed for $158,040 in stakes.

Fighter Command’s dam, Spitfire Rose (1:58.4), was a dual Tasmanian George Johnson winner, being by Jereme’s Jet from Weona Beachley, an unraced mare and by the champion American colt pacer Jenna’s Beach Boy whose mile in 1:47.6 stood as the world record for some years.

Weona Beachley was out of Weona Miss, by Troublemaker from the grand producer Weona Jewel, dam of the Inter Dominion champion Weona Warrior and final placegetter Weona Chief and the cup class pacer Weona Brave.

Up and coming youngsters

Three promising young horses to win in metropolitan class over the weekend were the three-year-olds Go Miki, Humour Me and Some Magic, all members of the same family.

Go Miki, who blitzed his rivals in a new lifetime mark of 1:51.9 at Menangle, is a colt by Always B Miki, and one of his fourth crop.

The winner of five of his nine starts, Go Miki looks certain to take a tight mark and as a stayer he has a bright future. He ranks as a brother to the Listed winner Star Celebrity (1:53.2) and a half-brother to the dual Listed winner Compete (1:50.5) and the exported Go Dancing (1:51.6), being out of Celebrity Guest (1:55.2), by Mach Three from Celebrity Ball, by Presidential Ball from the broodmare hen Larrakeyah Lady.

Humour Me, a most impressive winner at Melton and who is rated Oaks material of the highest order, is unbeaten in two starts. She is a filly by American Ideal from the Southern Cross winner Punch Line (1:54.2), dam of the Hobart Pacing Cup and Vicbred Platinum winner He’s Ideal (1:54.7), the winner of 10 of his 15 starts.

Punch Line was a Grinfromeartoear mare from Lifeline, a half-sister by Classic Garry to Celebrity Ball, the grand-dam of Go Miki.

Some Magic, who scored a runaway win on debut at Melton after some sparkling trials form, looks to have terrific potential. He is a Somebeachsomewhere half-brother to the brilliant but injury plagued pacer Ride High 1:49 ($289,427), now siring winners in Victoria, the Breeders Crown and Vicbred champion Rocknroll Magic 1:54.5 ($466,183), High Above 1:52.5 ($236,530) and the Group 2 winner Always Fast (1:52.8).

Their dam, All The Magic, who was only lightly raced, was a Live Or Die mare out of Celebrity Ball.

Go Miki and Some Magic were bred and are part-owned by Maryborough enthusiast Peter Gleeson, while Humour Me was bred by Benstud Standardbreds and Bruce and Craig Cameron.

Artistic Rainbow’s son wins Sweepstakes

The $30,000 Sweepstakes Final, the first Tasmanian classic for two-year-old colts and geldings and run at Hobart, was won easily by Rainbow Ranger, a colt by Bettor’s Delight from the smart racemare Artistic Rainbow (by Artsplace), a Listed winner who took a mile record of 1:55.6.

Artistic Rainbow, the winner of 11 races and $100,552, has a 100 percent record at the stud, having left eight foals for eight winners with five in 2:00 including the NSW Breeders Challenge placegetter A Rainbow Delight (1:52.9) and Rainbow Jet (1:55.5).

Artistic Rainbow was out of Hay Sharon (1:58.3), a Fake Left mare from the grand producer Able Sharon, dam of the Queensland feature winners Walk The Walk (1:56.8), Academy Award, Our Araluen Miss and Hike Along and the ancestress of the Tatlow winner Gold Rainbow, Sioux Rainbow (NSW Raith Memorial) and King Rainbow ($188,622).

Rainbow Ranger, who was bred by Muswellbrook (NSW) breeder John Markham and trained by Todd Rattray, looks a top colt.

Sahara Breeze is top Victorian mare

Sahara Breeze, a double winner in Free-for-all company at Melton and the winner of the Stylish Memphis Stakes (Listed) at Menangle, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the females.

She is a member of one of Australia’s top ranking families, being a five-year-old Captaintreacherous mare from a smart racemare in Sahara Miss (1:54.4), a Village Jasper mare who has produced others in the Mildura Cup winner Sahara Tiger 1:51 ($269,231) and the Group 2 winners Sahara Sirocco 1:51.7 ($253,768) and Starofsahara (1:56.2).

Sahara Miss was out of Macrandra, a noted producer by Classic Garry from the NZ bred Melanie, by Nero’s B B from the Tarport Coulter mare Port Melody, and tracing eventually to the foundation mare Parisienne.

Macranda left 14 individual winners – nine inside 2:00 – including the Vicbred champion and Bathurst Gold Tiara winner Distant Memory (1:55.1). She figures as the grand-dam of the dual Group 3 winner Delightful Angel (1:49.9), Beach Memories (1:53.4), Hows The Memory (NSW Sibelia Stakes), Our Money Rocks 1:50 ($221,549), the exported Something Bettor 1:50.6 ($212,880) and the Listed winner Platinum Jewel (1:54.4).

Sahara Breeze was bred and is raced by Australian Pacing Gold vice-chairman Peter Watkinson and Bruce Paul.

Breeding feat to Pat Driscoll

Rather a notable breeding feat was credited to Ballarat breeder Pat Driscoll at the all-trotters meeting at Bendigo, when he brought out three winners on the nine-race card.

They were the three-year-old Commodus (Father Patrick-American Jewel), who took out the Wagon Apollo Mile, No Money No Honey (Volstead-Egee Money), winner of the Scotch Notch 3YO Mile, and Keayang Francisco (Uniclove-Beautiful River).

Tasmanian Sweepstakes winner

Zoe Ella, who won the $30,000 Sweepstakes Final at Hobart, is a two-year-old filly who can claim some worthwhile blood.

Bought for $14,000 at the Australian Pacing Gold Melbourne sale in 2024, Zoe Ella was gotten by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Stay Hungry from the Lis Mara mare Miss Dreamin (1:54.3), and tracing back to the Medoro mare Minnesota, who established a great winning line for leading NSW studmaster Noel Simpson.

Miss Dreamin, a dual Group placegetter, was a half-sister to the Albion Park winner Saucy Dreams (1:51.4) and the Menangle and Melton victor Zibbibo (1:52.9), the dam of the NSW Breeders Challenge True Blue winner Saveeon (1:52.8).

Their dam, Karamea Dreamin (1:59.3), was by Dream Away from Karamea Minnie, by New York Motoring from the top racemare Karamea Minna, a winner of 23 races including the NSW Renshaw Cup and Tom Austin Cup.

This family has consistently produced a number of good winners over the years. They include the Galaxy Grand Slam winner Wooffer Karamea, Henchman (Stawell Cup), Spinner’s Boy (Vicbred Homegrown 3YO Classic), Michael Augustine (NSW Inter City Pace) and Im Tondelayo (Newcastle Oaks).

Zoe Ella was bred by Geoff and Lorraine Barnes, of Balmain Lodge stud, Tatura (Vic.).

Breeding of Hambletonian winner

Nordic Catcher, the winner of the $1 million Hambletonian in the stakes record time of 1:50 at The Meadowlands, is a Swedish bred colt with an interesting breeding background.

By the Muscles Yankee line horse Six Pack, and one of the second crop of the world champion, Nordic Catcher is out of That Woman Hanover (by Somebeachsomewhere), who put up a record of 1:50 as a pacer.

That Woman Hanover, a Stakes winner herself, was out of Sub Rosa Hanover (1:55), by Western Hanover from the Abercrombie mare Secret Date, the dam of the Australian and NZ 2YO Pacing Colt of the Year and highly successful sire Follow The Stars.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink